Christian Bergman (0-1, 3.00) was calm, self-assured, and delivered 6 better than competent innings Monday night as the Colorado Rockies lost their 10th of 11 games to the Atlanta Braves 3-1. Bergman threw 89 pitches (59 strikes), and took the loss, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, 2 walks, and 5 strike-outs. Gavin Floyd (1-2, 2.57), Luis Avilan, Shae Simmons, and Craig Kimbrel held the Rockies’ once-productive offense to a lead-off home-run by Corey Dickerson in the 7th. After scoring 24 runs but losing 4 of 5 last week, Colorado’s offense has managed only the Dickerson homer and another by Troy Tulowitzki the past 2 games.
Bergman dodged a Tulowitzki error on the first batter of the game, Jason Heyward, then retired 9 in a row before BJ Upton led-off the 4th with a single. Upton stole 2nd, and after Freddie Freeman walked and Upton moved to third on a line-out to right by his brother Justin, Evan Gattis delivered the run with a ground-ball to 3rd. Chris Johnson followed with a single to plate Freeman, and Atlanta had a 2-0 lead that would hold-up for the victory. The Braves scored another in the 8th on a walk to Justin Upton and singles by Gattis and Johnson, who had 2 of the 3 Atlanta RBI.
Colorado offered virtually no resistance. They had two on in the 2nd, Dickerson made it to 2nd-base on a flubbed pick-off attempt in the 4th, and DJ LeMahieu made it around to 3rd on a pinch-hit double by Brandon Barnes with 2 out after Dickerson’s homer in the 7th. But they went in-order in the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th and 8th, and Wilin Rosario failed to play the hero when Kimbrel walked Charlie Culberson with 2 out in the 9th.
The off-the-field news continued to be as dismal as the on-the-field type. The Rockies announced Carlos Gonzalez will have “exploratory” surgery on his injured finger (I won’t continue to guess which one it is) today at the Cleveland Clinic. The MRI on Michael Cuddyer came-back late in the day Monday and revealed a fracture of the shoulder socket, perhaps bringing an end to the Big Money Mike era in Denver. And the Rockies await the results of Eddie Butler’s MRI, due this morning, with fear and trepidation. Meanwhile, Agbayani reports no progress in his talks with Seattle on a Wilton Lopez for Robinson Cano trade. Additional cash the Rockies would receive back is the sticking-point, Ag reports.
It gets no easier for Colorado tonight. The Braves will throw Mike Minor out against the Rockies’ Juan Nicasio. Game time is 6:40 MDT.
Hey guys & gals love reading this site often. Question…do the guys getting called up who started in AA or AAA get a big bump in their check for the call up? Sorry not to much to add on another lost summer of Rockies baseball.
Howdy Konaman13. Welcome to the club. It all depends on the player and their particular contract. Christian Bergman was getting $xx amount in the minors, as he was on a minor league contract. While in the show he will earn the MLB minimum which is around $300,000 per year or so. But some, such as Wilton Lopez for example, are on a major league contract, which are usually guaranteed. So they will be paid the full amount, I think Wilton… Read more »
The major league minimum salary for 2014 is $500,000 per year. A player, when called up from the minors, will earn 1/162 of that amount, or $3,086.42, per game.
MRIs, not RBIs. A new slogan for the 2014 Rockies.
Bergman looked like a pitcher, must be what happens when you’re left in the minors for half a decade. Although I’d rather have a 26-year old with 2 Cy Youngs….
What an anemic line-up last night, showing again the roster filled with AAAA guys. And when’s the last time Charlie B. got a meaningful hit?
When’s the last time anyone on this team got a meaningful hit???
Walk of homer.
Actually triple-my bad.
Damn guys – I’m on my annual Ride the Rockies cycling trip (with limited Internet access in places) and I check in and see our train wreck is now a full 3 alarm dumpster fire! You know I’m not a fan of complaining about injuries and have frequently pointed other MLB teams with more injuries than us……..but it appears we’re reaching a new level of injury bad luck. This is a tricky one in regards to what to do moving… Read more »
Any word on Winkler’s MRI?
It boggles the mind, how fast the collapse and how mighty the mountain of injuries. 🙁
I guess last night was the best game for the Rockies in some time…nobody got hurt.
That we know about…
Stick a fork in ’em … They’re officially done. The baseball gods took a team destined for a surprise .500-ish run that was one lucky winning run (think a junior version of 2007) from serious playoff contention) and stuck a comically large barbecue fork right into its juicy guts. Until this week I harbored hope that a resurgent Cargo and Cuddy could make up for the loss of Arenado and the inevitable regression of Tulo and Blackmon to their normal… Read more »
Cargo with a tumor in his finger??? Is that even possible?
Wow, the injuries are now getting just plain weird. All I know is that the internet tells me the vast majority of finger rumors are benign. I am now officially in the “freak injuries killed our season” camp. I mean, the injuries would be on O’Dowd if they happened to the old guys he signed like Morneau and Hawkins, or if they were typical baseball injuries older players like Cuddyer get, but this is freaky
Yeah – I just read the ESPN story. Honestly, if it’s benign, it sort of makes it sound like he’ll be back “relatively” quickly. It is definitely weird.
I’ll still lay this on the not SMiB. If the rocks had anyone at all in the minors who could fill in at third even half competently, Cuddy would not have been playing out of position. Getting hurt. Etc. etc.
There is no depth in this organization. After 14 years.
Time for a change.
IMHO
Can Matzek be any worse than Nicascio? If Gray isn’t ready than Bettis sure as hell isn’t.What about Frederich he has big league experience.WHERE’S JEFF FRANCIS when we need him.DOD will never get the value Tulos’ worth and I don’t think you trade our first real HOF candidate.
TJ surgery for Daniel Winkler. The beat goes on. He’s done for this year and a good portion of next.